EXCLUSIVE-Paraguay, Venezuela to meet on Mercosur-Paraguay

September 23, 2013|Reuters

By Manuela Badawy

NEW YORK, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Paraguayan and Venezuelangovernment representatives plan to reestablish dialog duringtheir visit at the United Nations General Assembly in New Yorkafter Venezuela was accepted to Mercosur, South America'strading block, without Paraguay's approval.

"We are working on it. We all want this to be resolved asquickly as possible," Paraguay's vice minister of foreignrelations, Manuel Maria Caceres, said. "There will be somemeetings at a ministerial level this week," he added, speakingat Columbia University's World Leaders Forum.

Paraguay was suspended from Mercosur following theimpeachment of President Fernando Lugo by the Paraguayan Senatelast year, a move considered anti-democratic by the bloc'smembers. Venezuela was then admitted without Paraguay's consent,causing a judicial problem.

Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes took power in August,allowing the country to rejoin the Mercosur trading bloccomposed of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

"There is a compromise to make an effort to normalize thebilateral relations," Caceres told Reuters.

A day after taking power, Cartes said Paraguay would rejoinMercosur once Mercosur's foreign ministers found a resolution tothe judicial problem caused when Venezuela joined without itspresence or approval.